Brian Mbeumo was named Premier League Player of the Month for October, joining an illustrious list that includes true greats as well as cult heroes and forgotten names.
Brian Mbeumo has been named the Premier League’s Player of the Month for October. That’s no surprise for Manchester United, a team on the rise with a five-game unbeaten run including three wins in a row.
Mbeumo was a big hit at Brentford and was able to apply his form immediately after his summer move. He has more than earned his £70m fee back as he continues to perform well in the final third.
The Cameroonian international scored in two of United’s three wins. He scored in just two minutes against Liverpool at Anfield and scored twice in a 4-2 win over Brighton. His efforts have now been recognized individually, making him the second United player to win the award after Bruno Fernandes in 2025.
But if you look at the list of Premier League players of the month, you’ll see some notoriety. Some of these players had very short periods in the sun.
Yes, there have been multiple winners throughout the contest’s history. Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane and Mo Salah have claimed it seven times. Cristiano Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard are sixth.
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Mirror Football takes a look at some of the lesser-known names who have won this award and earned a small slice of Premier League history with individual gongs.
Joe Willock – May 2021
The Newcastle ace essentially secured a move to St James’ Park after an excellent stint on loan from Arsenal, although it was a short stint during the coronavirus-affected season. The midfielder turned into a goal-scoring machine, finding the back of the net with a bounce in seven games when he played. His run began in April and continued until the end of the season, with his goals helping the Magpies win four of their final seven games.
Fraser Foster – February 2016
He was once knocking on the door of becoming England’s goalkeeper – thanks to his form during his time at Southampton. Forster has returned from injury with a club-record six consecutive clean sheets for Saints, three of which (against Arsenal, West Ham and Swansea) failed in February to secure seven points.
Dearfra Sakho – October 2014
He has quite a bit of purpura and helped West Ham to a memorable victory over Manchester City at Upton Park. The striker helped the Hammers win three of their three wins in the month, with the others coming against QPR and Burnley. He scored in all three games and had six goals in six starts. Sakho’s header against City was the match winner, defeating the champions 2-1.
Deco – August 2008
Chelsea wanted to sign the Portuguese playmaker who led Porto to Champions League glory in 2004. They acquired him four years later after he chose to join Barcelona instead, but he got off to a great start. Deco was the mastermind behind a cracker in a 4-0 win over Portsmouth on the opening day. He also scored the winning goal against Wigan a week later, which was as impressive as his Chelsea career.
Michael Forssell – March 2004
Another former Chelsea player, he had to leave for Birmingham City to make his mark in the Premier League. The Finnish frontman enjoyed the best season of his career in 2003/04, scoring 19 goals in all competitions, surpassing the likes of Michael Owen. In March, he scored six goals, including two against Middlesbrough and Leeds.
Paulo Wanchope – October 1997
The Costa Rican made his name in England during his time at Derby and made an impressive start to the 1997/98 season. The striker has been in excellent form this month, being involved in all five of Derby’s league goals and setting up Francesco Baiano’s brace in Rams’ 2-1 win over Leicester. Wanchope was an integral part of Derby’s 2-2 draw with United at Pride Park, scoring and briefly taking the lead. He set up Baiano again when Derby drew 1-1 with Wimbledon.
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